Public examinations: A matter of life and death

In an exam-oriented education system, it is very important for students to:

get good grades (good grades = A)

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excel academically (it won't matter if they flunk their social skills)

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make school proud by getting all As or be the one who has the most As in the country (nasib baik other countries dont have UPSR, PMR or SPM - or else, to be the best in the country might be thought not good enough)

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study hard for exam; not for life!

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As a result of all the above:

The school took away my sister's one week break. Therefore, instead of enjoying her holiday with her family, she had to attend 'extra classes' from 7.30a.m until 11.50a.m (Monday-Thursday).

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She did not have time to watch her favourite Korean drama which her big sister had downloaded for her to watch during holiday.

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So here these are a few important questions that linger on my mind recently:

Is 'taking away' school holiday from Year 6 students and replace it with compulsory Mathematics/BI/BM/Science periods  actually 'legal' in Malaysia?

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Since when is making students to attend extra classes after school or on weekend not enough?

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Since when are Year 6 students being denied their right to enjoy their school term break? 

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Since when is going to school Monday to Friday from 7 a.m until 12.20 p.m not enough?

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What went wrong with our education system? Who should be blamed?

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As a future teacher:

 Do I want my students to be well-trained or well-educated? 

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Do I want to see my students being deprived of their 

      childhood/teenhood?

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Time will tell.